Good and Bad News for Azula
by Metropolis Kid
Summary: Semi-sequel to Bender's Tale. Azula's good news is that she has captured the Avatar. Her Bad news is that she can't kill him. More complete summary inside. Please Read and Review. Thanks.
1. Chapter 1: Good News, everyone

Good news and Bad news for Azula

Chapter one: The Capture.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or Futurama; but if I owned them both, Bender's Tale would be a real episode of one.

Summery: Okay, this is sort of a squeal to Bender's Tale. Bender isn't in this story, but he is mentioned. Aang's gone crazy. If you read Bender's Tale you know why. This story takes place before the end of season 1. I've tried to write this story so that you can read it by itself; but if you're confused about anything, reading Bender's Tale should clear it up. This is most likely going to be a two-shot, but there's always the chance that if enough people like it I will eventually add more.

He'd been chasing their ship for days. In the beginning he was screaming at them to take him with them, but he'd given that up. No single Fire Nation ship was going to just welcome the Avatar aboard. At least not one with a sane captain.

He wasn't even sure why he kept chasing them. He just didn't have anywhere else to go. He couldn't turn back. Aang just couldn't stand seeing Katara and Zuko together. "Stupid alcohol!" And the idea of the blind girl hitting on him again was too much to bear. Besides, who knew when the evil metal bender could return.

In the Fire Nation he would be safe. They'd put him in a nice safe cell where no one would ever bother him again. If he could just hold on. The ship had been sailing west for days. They had to be getting close to the Fire Nation.

Aang eyes felt heavy. There was a strong breeze. Aang decided to get some rest. Gliding had become second nature. He could do it just as well if he were sleeping. Indeed, as long as he didn't need to bend and the ship didn't change course there, was no reason he had to stay awake. So Aang drifted of to sleep.

Aang's eyes opened when he hit the water. He gulped and tried to get his bearings. It was night. He'd over slept, and not too far away, something big was moving through the water. Aang strained his eyes. The moon light reveled that it was a Fire Nation ship, but it wasn't the one he'd been chasing. This one was larger and it seemed to be search for something. Aang figured, "New ship. Mine as well try again." He began waving his arms in the air and shouting, "Hey! Over here!"

On the ship. "Don't worry princess. We'll find him."

"You'd better."

"Sir! I think I've spotted him, and…" The voice trailed of for a moment. The speaker trying to rectify something that seemed unimaginable. "Sir? He appears to be signaling us."

"Don't be ridicules. Why would the Avatar be trying to signal a Fire Nation ship."

"Maybe he doesn't know we're Fire Nation."

"We're in Fire Nation waters. Our ship's made out of metal, and two minuets ago the Princess blasted his glider with a fire shot! How could he not know that we're Fire Nation?"

"Investigate."

"But, Princess…"

"Investigate. The if the sailor is wrong he will pay for his mistake."

The ship turned. It was coming at him. He did it. He got their attention. Aang was so happy.

As the ship neared the Avatar, the crew could hear his shots of joy. "He wasn't kidding. The Avatar really dose want us to capture him."

"Ummm, it could be a trap."

"Do you want us to leave him alone, Princess."

"Don't be an idiot. Bring him aboard, but keep you're eyes open and be ready if he tries anything."

"Yes, Princess."

"And captain, keep in mind that he must be taken alive. If he dies he'll just be reborn into the Water Tribe and we'll have to start searching for him all over again."

"Yes Princess. Of course."

The ship fired out a net and snagged the young Avatar. They haled him up the side of the ship and dropped him on the deck. The princess moved toward her prey. She was prepared. She was ready for any attack he could make. She could only bend fire, but she had studied all the arts so that she could anticipate her enemies. If he so much as thought of bending she'd know. There wasn't anything he could do to surprise her, that was the princess's belief. She was about to find out that she was wrong. She was very wrong.

He did it. The ship picked him up. All his problems were solved. He saw one of the fire benders walking toward him and his joy over powered him he ran to the bender.

She saw him coming. He was charging her. She knew that attack. It was an old air bender's trick. 'Fool you're opponent into thinking that your going to attack them head on, and when you get close jump to one of the sides and let them have it.' Well, she was no one's fool. So right before he reached her, she thrust her left arm left and her right arm right. Two large blue fire blasts flew from her hands. That would show the Avatar who he was dealing with.

The princess was both surprised and confused, as the Avatar didn't jump to either side. But instead, threw his arms around her.

"Thank you! Oh thank you!"

The Avatar smelt terrible. Days of flying around, chasing a ship and not making any rest stops would do that to anyone. The princess tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held tight and continued to thank her profusely. "What's wrong with you! We didn't rescue you. We captured you. Don't you realize that were going to put you in cell, and throw away the key?"

"You promise? Oh, you've made me the happiest Avatar ever."

"He's taken a hostage. Now men!"

Before Aang knew what happened he was tackled by a swarm of men. They pulled him away from the princess and wrestled him to the deck.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

"Yes. I'm fine, but I think that the Avatar has lost his mind. Throw him into the holding cell. Have your men give him something to eat and drink, maybe that will restore his senses."

"Yes, Princess." The crew began to drag the Avatar away.

"And, Captain."

"Yes, Princess."

I expect him to be cleaned before I interrogate him. He smells awful."

The princess went to her room. She removed her now smelly clothes and burnt them, not a difficult task for a fire bender. She took a bath, put on a sleeping robe and went to bed. She would interrogate the Avatar tomorrow. It's not like he would be going anywhere. She was tired, and he didn't seem coherent enough to interrogate now, anyway.

(Next chapter is the interrogation. Azula finds out why Aang is so glad to be captured. Hope you enjoyed. Please review. Thanks.)


	2. Chapter 2: Bad News

Chapter 2: The interrogation.

As the first rays of sunlight struck the ship, the princess awoke. She had a light breakfast and then sent for one of the Avatar's guards. A man arrived quickly. It wasn't a good idea to keep the princess waiting.

"You sent for me, your Highness."

"Yes, has the Avatar tried to escape?"

"No. He seems quite content to sit in his cell."

"Has he talked yet."

"We can't get him to shut up. The problem is that all he talks about is how some metal bender ruined his life. If I may offer an opinion?" The princess nodded. Any information on the Avatar could be helpful, even if it was just his keepers opinion. The man continued, "I think that he's lost it. There's no such thing as a metal bender."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. There was no such thing as a lightning bender before my grandfather discovered a more advanced form of fire bending. It's possible that someone from the Earth Kingdom, has discovered a more advanced form of earth bending and become a metal bender. We must keep an open mind and never underestimate our enemy. Have the Avatar brought to my room. Make sure his hands are bound. I don't want him able to bend."

"Yes, your Highness. At once." The man did a polite bow and quickly left the room. Before long the Avatar was in the princess's room.

The princess looked at the guard who had brought the Avatar to her. "You are dismissed." The princess preferred to conduct her interrogations alone. The guard left. The princess turned to the Avatar. He had a stupid, happy grin on his face.

"So, you've the Avatar."

"Yup, Avatar Aang at you're service."

"Yes, you are. Do you know who I am?"

"No, other than the fact that you seem to be in charge around here."

"Indeed I am. I am Princess Azula, daughter of Firelord Ozai. And with you're capture I have insured my succession to the throne. Now Zuko will never be able to return and take what is rightfully mine."

"Oh, he doesn't care about that anymore; not since he stole my girlfriend."

"Zuko, big scar on his face Zuko, stole you're girlfriend. How did he manage that?"

"It's all that metal bender's fault! He made the stew!"

"What does stew have to do with Zuko stealing you're girlfriend?"

"She was intoxicated. When he took her."

"So my brother got you're girlfriend drunk and took advantage of her." Azula's tone had the slightest hint of approval to it. "Seems he found a way to adapt to his scar after all."

"What? No. You're not listening. Bender made the stew. He murdered my lemur, and got her drunk!"

"Which bender, and why would anyone want to get a lemur drunk?"

"Bender, Bender! The metal bender that I've been talking about! He's evil, pure EVIL! And he didn't get my lemur drunk. He killed it and used it for meat in the stew!"

"Wait, the metal bender's name is actually Bender? And you keep mentioning stew. What does it have to do with my brother?"

"Bender used hard liquor in the stew. That's what got Katara drunk and why she ran off with your brother. Not to mention that he nearly killed Toph."

"Who's Toph?"

"She's my blind earth bending teacher. She was about to have seconds, but I blew the bowl out of her hands before she could. I saved her life. Haha, that's on less head for Bender's evil, undead collection."

Up till now, Azula had been listening to Aang. She thought that the young Avatar was suffering from shell shock, but was still giving her useful information. He told her the name of the metal bender. She could track him down; and if he really was as evil as the Avatar claimed, perhaps he could be turned to her side. The fact that her brother no longer cared about redeeming himself in the eyes of their father, removed one obstacle between her and the throne. And if Zuko should change his mind, Azula now knew of another vulnerability she could exploit. This Katara person who Zuko seemed so attached to would make a useful bargaining chip. But hearing about a blind earth bending teacher and an undead head collections was just too much.

Azula grabbed a knife and went over to Aang. Azula seamed upset, and Aang was worried. But Azula only used the knife to cut the ropes binding Aang's hands together. "Get off my ship!"

"Why?"

"Now!"

"No, please don't send me away. Bender could come for me anytime. You have to protect me. I'm your prisoner!"

"You are not the Avatar. There is no way that the Avatar could be this insane. Blind earth bending girls and undead heads, do you really expect be to believe such ridiculous tales?"

"But they're true. Toph was born blind, but she learned earth bending from badger moles. Bender does have an undead head. I saw it. It was in a tank. He opened up his chest and pulled it out. He started talking to it and it talked back. (This wasn't in Bender's tale, but if you watch Futurama, you know that Bender keeps, among other things, Lucy Liu's head in his chest.). And I am the Avatar." Aang starts stomping his foot. As he continues, "I am. I am. I am."

"Look, I have no idea how you managed to get a glider into the air so far away from land. I can only assume that you must have started on a very high mountain and that you're an excellent glider, but you are not the Avatar. You're some pathetic, deranged want to be who thinks that he's the Avatar. I'm not running a mental institution here. Now get of my ship before I roast you!" A blue flame appears in Azula's palm.

Aang throws himself at Azula's feet and wraps his arms around her legs. "Please don't make me go back out there. Bender's waiting for me. I just know it. If I leave he'll get me!"

"Let go of me." Azula tries to break free from Aang's grasp. She succeeds only in tripping herself. Outside Azula's door a Fire Nation guard is on his patrol when he hears a crashing sound coming from the princess's room. The guard rushes into the room to insure that the princess is all right. When he throws the door open his jaw drops.

Azula and Aang have fallen into a very compromising position. They both turn to face the guard, who thinks that he has interrupted something that he would have been better off not knowing about. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I heard banging. No! I mean a bang, and I was just trying to make sure that the princess was alright."

"What are you blabbering about?" It's then that Azula notices her and Aang's positions. "Oh no! This isn't what it looks like." The last thing she needed was a scandalous rumor floating around about her. "He grabbed my legs and I fell over."

"What ever you say, princess. What you do with your prisoners is none of my business." The guard quickly bows, leaves the room and closes the door.

Azula pushes herself away from Aang. "Get off of me."

They both stand up. Aang can tell that Azula is very upset. She's walking toward him. Aang quickly realizes that if she doesn't believe that he is the Avatar, there's nothing stopping her from killing Him. Aang puts up a hand. "Wait! I am the Avatar. I can prove it." Azula is still drawing near her prey. Aang's backing away slowly. He sees a black pearl her nightstand. Aang grabs it. "Watch this." Aang uses his air bending to make the pearl fly in circles between his palms. "See?"

Azula stops, but she's still not totally convinced that this crazy kid is really the Avatar. "That proves that you're an air bender. Not that you're the Avatar. If one air bender survived there could be others." Azula knew that the odds were astronomically against this air bender not being the Avatar, but she so desperately wanted to kill him. "If you're really the Avatar, bend another element."

"Sure, if you would just have someone bring me some water."

"Oh no, we're going to settle this now. After the last guard, I don't want anyone questioning why I'm asking for liquid. Bend some fire."

"But, I don't know how."

Azula thought for a minute. She needed to find out if this was really the Avatar. "Do this." She made a fist, raised her arm, pulled her it back and quickly trust it forward. A blast of blue flame shot out of the end of her first and dissipated as it struck the metal hull. It was one of the simplest and most easily avoided attacks in fire bending. Azula felt sure that Aang couldn't effectively use it against her.

Aang copied Azula's movements; and when he trust his fist forward, a very small and pathetic flame shot out. It dissipated even before it struck the hull.

Azula couldn't help it she burst into a fit of laughter. Outside her door another guard herd the laughter. He had never heard the princess laugh before. He cautiously neared the door and put his ear to it. More laughter and then "And I thought Zuko was bad!" More laughter. The guard was just about to open the door slightly and peek inside when the other guard, the one who saw Aang and Azula' bodies locked together, came around the corner.

"Trust me you don't want to go in there."

"I wasn't, but the princess is laughing. Aren't you curious why?"

"No."

"Why not? Azula never laughs."

The first guard walked over to the second and whispered something in his ear. "They were doing what?"

"You heard me."

The second guard remembered something. He turned green and made a sick face.

"Well if that's you're reaction to the act, I hate to hear what you're girlfriend thinks of you."

"No it's not that. She just said that the Avatar was worse than Zuko."

"Her brother, Zuko?"

"Do you know another Zuko?"

"I didn't need to hear that. Let's get out of here before we find out something else that we don't want to know."

Back in Azula's room. Azula has calmed down somewhat, but she's still laughing.

"What did I do wrong?"

In between her laughter Azula says, "Fire bending is more about you're emotions than you're movements. You channel your inner rage into the blast. You must be the calmest goody, goody on the planet."

Aang hated being called that. It's what Katara called him before she ran of with Zuko. The thought of the two of them together made Aang's skin crawl. It made him so angry. "I'm not a goody, goody!" Aang repeated his previous movements as he shouted and a huge blast of fire flew from his fist. It dissipated when it struck the hull, but it left a dent behind. Azula stopped laughing.

"Wow! That felt great. And look. I dented the hull. You are a great teacher."

That statement scared Azula. She didn't want anyone thinking that she was training the Avatar. "I'm not you're teacher."

"But you could be. You could teach me all about fire bending, and then I could go beat Zuko at his own game. I could get Katara back and humiliate Zuko at the same time!"

"As much as I like to see my brother humiliated, that's not going to happen. You're my prisoner not my pupil."

"But…"

"I think that it's time for you to go back to you're cell." Azula pulled Aang from her room and went to find a guard. "Here, put him back in the cell."

"Though with the prisoner?"

The guard's tone had a subtle edge to it that Azula didn't like. Her voice tock on an ice cold edge. "Are you implying something?"

A terrified guard replied, "No! Of course not. I'll take the prisoner away at once."

A couple of days later, Azula and her guards are escorting her prisoner to the Fire Lord. Aang is going on about Bender's small three eyed pet eating his flying bison in one bite and then burping up the saddle. The fire benders only response is the occasional "Ahuh." They had discovered that when the Avatar was going on about Bender it was best just to tune him out.

The group arrived in the Firelord's throne room.

Ozai, "So Avatar, after a hundred years we have finally captured you."

"Yes my good hotman, now would you please put me in a cell. This place is to open and exposed. If you could I would really appreciate one below ground."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, why would I mock you? You're the one who's going to lock me away."

"I would have thought that three days with my daughter would have taught you some respect."

"Huh? Oh, Azula? She's great."

"You think my daughter's great?" Azula was worried. The Avatar thinking that she's great, is not something that she wants her father to know about.

"Yup. She fed me, got me some new clothes, protected me from Bender, and she's teaching me fire bending."

Ozai's tone suddenly got darker, not an easy task by the way. "Azula is teaching you fire bending?"

Azula was quick to interject. "No!"

Aang turns to Azula. "Was I not supposed to tell him that."

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone that." Azula hears a snort from her father. "Wait, that's not what I meant. I mean The Avatar's crazy. Don't listen to him."

Ozai "You are teaching the Avatar fire bending. I always knew that you wanted the throne, but I thought that you would wait until I died naturally."

Azula "Daddy, I would never…"

Ozai interrupts, "You should have at least waited until I was old and feeble! You have not only betrayed me, but our entire people. How did you intend to control the Avatar once he had grown powerful enough to defeat me?"

Azula's captain answered the question before she got a chance. "She's been sleeping with him, sir."

"Seeping with the Avatar?"

"No! I've never slept with him."

Aang adds, "That's true. I always slept in my nice safe cell."

The captain responds, "Well, maybe there wasn't much sleeping involved; but one of my men saw them together. The whole ship knows. And she said that Zuko was better."

Ozai's face actually lost some of it's color at that statement. "You slept with your own brother! That's disgusting."

"Daddy they're lying. I never slept with Aang, and I certainly never slept with Zuko." Azula couldn't believe what was happening. Her entire world, everything that she had worked for in life, was being destroyed before her eyes; and it was all because she had captured the Avatar.

"So now it's Aang?"

"What? No!"

"I've heard enough. Guards!"

That night, in an underground Fire Nation prison, "I can't believe it. We've got be like a half mile down. This is great! Bender will never get us here."

Azula's ice cold voice comes from the next cell over. "If I ever get out of here, I'm going to kill you."

"What? Why?"

"Sssllooowwlly." (Incase you can't tell that is supposed to be a drawn out version of slowly.)

(Well, it's done. To my single reviewer so far: Mof 13, I'm glad that you've been enjoying the sequel. To everyone else: I hope you enjoy this as well, and remember: If I get enough positive reviews, I may eventually expand this story.)


	3. Chapter 3: The Son of Flame

Chapter 3: The Heir Apparent.

AN: Okay, I haven't done anything with Avatar in a while. This was the last Avatar fic I worked on; and for quite awhile, it only had two reviews, both from the same person. So, I switched venues. I've been into Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles lately, but TwilightG sent in six different reviews asking for an expansion of this story. So, I'm going to give it a go.

It had been two months since the Fire Lord locked up his daughter, and he had been thinking about it ever since. It wasn't that he felt bad for his daughter. Ozai was above such petty affect. What was bothering the lord of fire was that he now had no heir to succeed him. Zuko was banished. Azula was imprisoned, and Ursa wouldn't be giving him anymore children. Ozai considered just getting a new wife or maybe a concubine, but he decided against it. The dragon's blood that had for so long flowed through the veins of his family was cooling. There had been to much inbreeding and selection of week counter parts. That's why Ozai had chosen Ursa in the first place. He knew that she was the granddaughter of Avatar Roku; and although she was not a bender, fire flowed strongly through her blood. No, any child born of another woman would be inferior to his first two.

So it was with great reservations that Ozai decided to pardon his son and welcome him home. However, there was still one problem. No one knew where Zuko was. The fleet that had once searched the earth for the Avatar, now searched for the prince of flame.

The ships scoured the Earth Kingdom rivers, searched in the frigid polar waters and combed the shores of the flaming isles. A few even went further than that. They got completely lost and ended up at Kyoshi Island. Where, as luck would have it, Zuko was enjoying a picnic with his new wife, Katara.

Katara "This day is so beautiful. I wish it would never end."

Zuko "It's not half as beautiful as you."

Katara laughed. Zuko could be so corny sometimes, but she found that she enjoyed it. "Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder." And with that she pounced on him. They rolled down the grass covered hill, both enjoying themselves, and came to rest at the bottom. Zuko ended up on top. He began to lightly kiss the bottom of his wife's neck. She giggled. "Zuko, stop. You know I'm ticklish there."

Zuko laughed. "Hey, you're the one who started this. I think I should just…"

Zuko's voice trailed off and Katara became nervous. "Zuko, Honey. What's wrong?"

Zuko rolled off of Katara and recomposed himself. He pointed out to the sea. "Fire Nation ships."

Katara gasped. "We've got to warn everyone." Zuko nodded. He and Katara both started running back to the village.

They reached the village too late. The Fire Nation ships had already landed. The admiral in charge of the ships had demanded the towns food to resupply their ship's store. The town had refused, and the fire benders had begun burning everything in site. The Kyoshi Warriors had mobilized and were trying to hold the fire benders back, but their were just too many of them. Sokka and Suki were standing back to back and holding their own against eight, but as soon as they took one out two more were waiting to fill the gap.

Katara saw that her brother and his girlfriend were surrounded. She summoned up all the water around her and formed a large wave. The wave swept a section of the enemy benders away. Katara ran to Sokka and Suki's side. Zuko just rushed the other fire benders. He began to cut through them like a knife through butter. Fire bending was an expression of the bender's inner rage. And Zuko now had more of that than anyone on the island.

He had finally found happiness and inner peace. He had truly wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life with his beautiful wife, maybe raise some kids together. But his father just wouldn't let him be happy. Of course, Zuko had no idea that the fire benders were actually looking for him, to bring him home. However, he knew that whatever there purpose was, it was ordained by his father. So, Zuko displaced all the rage he felt for his father toward the fire benders that he was fighting now.

Sokka wasn't too pleased with his sister's choice of husband, but he had to admit that Zuko was useful in a tight spot. They were actually gaining some ground. Zuko was leading the attack and the rest of them were just following and cleaning up what he missed or left behind.

One of the captains noticed the display and called the Admirals attention to it. "Look sir! They have a fire bender."

The Admiral looked at the advancing enemy and replied, "What? Where did they get a… Wait a minute." He grabbed his spyglass and zoomed in on the enemy leader's face. "That's Zuko!" He turned to his captains. "tell your men to charge the enemy fire bender, but not to kill him. We must capture him alive. Huh, there'll be promotions in this for all of us."

Zuko was tiring. That was the problem with just giving into rage. It made a fire bender much more powerful, but it drained their stamina quicker. He was starting to slow down just as all the remaining enemy began to direct their attacks at him. It was too much. Zuko kept trying to fight, but he ended up passing out from the exhaustion. He was captured, but the fight had had a terrible price for the other fire benders. They had lost too many men. Even without Zuko, their enemy was still advancing, albeit at a slower pace. The admiral ordered a retreat.

The doors to the inner chamber opened up and Zuko was escorted forward.

Ozai stood up. "Ah, my son. Welcome home." Ozai noticed that Zuko's hands were bound. He turned to one of the escorts. "Why are has hands tied?"

"Well, he sort of killed a hundred of us. Sir."

"Really? Exhalent!"

"You're pleased that we got killed?"

Ozai replied in the same tone as a teacher trying to explain something that should've been apparent. "Of course. It means that my son has grown strong in his exile." Ozai turned to his son. "See, it was for your own good."

"Whatever."

Ozai snapped, "I see that you've also grown insolent. Be careful. I will forgive it this time, but I may not next. You've just returned home. You wouldn't want to be banished again."

"I haven't returned home. I've been kidnapped. I don't want to be here. I just want to go back to my wife."

"You, you have a wife?"

"Yes. Katara, and she's the most beautiful water bender in the whole world."

"But I'm offering you power, riches, a throne. Don't you get it? I'm restoring your honor."

"No thanks. I'd rather just go back to my exile."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me. I just want to go back to Katara."

"But you're the prince. You can have your pick of any woman in the land. Tell you what, you can even have Azula."

Zuko's face turns green. "What the heck is wrong with you? She's my sister!"

"Oh, drop the innocent act. I already know that you slept with her at least once."

"You're deranged! I've never slept with Azula! That's just so wrong."

"Deranged! How dare you speak to me like that! Oh, I get it. You're trying to make me mad so that I'll exile you again. Well, I will not be manipulated. You're the fire prince and that's all there is to it."

Zuko stops his foot. "I don't want to be the fire prince. I just want Katara."

Ozai walks back to his throne and turns to his most trusted adviser. They begin to whisper.

"What's wrong with my son?"

"Well, he said that this Katara was a water bender. Maybe she's bewitched him."

"Can they do that?"

"Some ancient texts say that they have the ability to invade another's mind. So I think it's possible."

"Is there any cure?"

"I don't know, but the doctors claim that leaches will cure just about anything."

Ozai turns around and proclaims, in a loud voice, "This is a sad day for the Fire Nation. Although my son has returned stronger and more powerful, he has been bewitched by the spell of a water bender. He must be treated. Sequester him in his old room and send for the doctors. Tell them to bring their leaches and whatever else they can think of."

The guards begin to carry Zuko away. He is kicking and screaming, "No! Wait! You don't understand! She didn't bewitch me! I just love her! Would someone please just listen to me!"

Ozai just shakes his head as his son is dragged away. "So sad. I do hope the doctors can help him."


End file.
